1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driver and method for driving a semiconductor light emitting device array, and more particularly to a driver and method for driving a light emitting diode (LED) array supporting dynamic image control functions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Light emitting diode (LED) arrays have been gradually employed as the backlight module to a liquid crystal display (LCD). Compared with conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlight modules, the LED arrays are preferable in environmental protection consideration and color brightness performance. The LED backlight module, such as a small size white LED backlight, is generally driven by a constant current controlled by a DC voltage. Another driving type is to use a current sink integrated circuit (IC) to regulate the current flowing through the LEDs of distinct primary colors (that is, red, green, and blue). These conventional driving mechanisms, however, can only achieve a current stability of the entire LED array and the color temperature adjustment in a global sense. Such conventional driving methods still restrain an LED array backlight module from achieving further functions such as dynamic contrast, scanning backlight, and color sequence facility. Therefore, recent efforts have been focused on the improvement about dynamic current stability and color temperature compensation function for the LED backlight modules.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,235B2 discloses an integrated LED driving device which employs a single liner regulator and a multiple-output current mirror which is substantially independent of the DC input voltage source and the MOSFET's (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) variation from integration process. Total current through the entire LED array module can be regulated by the MOSFET current mirror and the regulator. The mechanism, however, can only attain global current stability and color temperature of the LED array, but fails to further support advanced functions such as the dynamic contrast adjustment, scanning backlight, and the color sequence facility for the LCD.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,864,867B2 discloses another driving circuit for LED array which comprises a set of switches incorporated with a control loop. This patent focuses on monitoring the total current flowing through the entire LED array, and still fails to attain above advantages when the LED array is employed as a display backlight module.
In view of limitations of prior LED backlight techniques, there is a need to provide an improved driving mechanism to enhance the facility of an LED array module employed as the backlight of an LCD.